New Years
by RainbowAnatomy
Summary: Natalie Vasquez needed a win. Apparently, so did Alex Parrish.


**A/N:** Quantico is _amazing_ and I've watched it twice through in like, a week, and I got one of my best friends to watch it, and he got his mother to watch it, now my mother watches it, and apparently another one of my best friends started watching, too! IT IS SO GOOD! I immediately wrote 7 fanfics. A lot of them - except for this and one other - have hard or softcore smut in desperate need of editing. Message me or leave a comment/review if you want me to get on that. Anyway, I really don't like how the New Years episode ends up. So here's a better ending. Sorry for the long note. New Years countdown in _italics_.

 **Ship:** Alex/Natalie

 **DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED IT, YOU'D KNOW IT**

* * *

 ** _~~New Years~~_**

Maybe Natalie Vasquez _didn't_ want Alex Parrish to keep calling Ryan Booth. Because if he took Alex back, she'd lose _all_ chances. So, as the classmate, teammate, good friend Natalie was, she was trying to help Alex woman up and call him. She sauntered away with her drink, walking passed the political faces in the crowd. Surely in a house as huge as this, there would be a quiet place to go and sulk - not that she sulked - as Alex called him. Glancing around, she began to climb the closest staircase, the hallways and rooms darkening as she ascended.

Pushing the thought of Alex and Ryan out of her mind, she took out her phone, dialing her daughter's father. She wandered through each hallway, each unlocked room, working her way up. When she reached the top floor, she paused and redialed for the seventh time. Further in front of her, there was a pair of sliding doors. She hurried over, stepping onto the secluded balcony. Pressing the phone to her ear, she rooted around in her purse with her free hand, retrieving a pack of Marlboros with a lone pair of cigarettes inside.

No answer. She redialed again. Again, no answer.

"Fuck," she groaned, shoving her phone away. She lit one of the cigarettes, inhaling a little too hard as she leaned against the railing. Below her, she could hear the party going on, and watch people walk by on the streets, drunk and happy. Well, at least she was one of those things. She took another drag.

"You smoke?" someone's voice came behind her. She whirled.

"Oh, Alex... How did you find me?" she coughed, the cigarette smoldering in her fingers.

"You smoke?" Alex repeated herself.

"Um... No, not really. Just. When I'm stressed."

"Are you trying to call your inactive case?" Alex took a step closer.

"I don't... really want to talk about it." She looked back out into the city.

"That's ok... You have another one?"

"Hm?"

"Cigarette."

"Oh..." She opened her pack again and stared at the last one. "Yeah," she murmured, holding it out, "Here."

"Thanks. Got a light?"

She opened the flame, expecting Alex to take it for herself. Instead, Alex cupped her hand over hers and pulled it close, meeting her gaze as she did so. Natalie hoped it was dark enough to not see her blush.

"You smoke?" she asked jokingly, nervously when Alex released her hand and she tucked the lighter away.

"Only when I'm stressed," Alex fired back, smirking.

"What are you stressed about? Did Ryan not pick up?" Natalie reached a shaking hand and lightly covered Alex's hand with it. Alex looked down at the action, then met her gaze once more. She flinched away at the frosty flame in Alex's eyes.

"Ryan is here with his ex wife, undercover as if they're engaged. I really needed to get some air," Alex finally answered.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Alex," Natalie murmured, meaning it, because she couldn't stand the sorrow and anger that flitted across her classmate, teammate, good friend's face.

"It's ok. I've never known the real Ryan Booth. This should not have surprised me."

"Still, I know you really liked him." She soared a little inside when Alex didn't correct her use of the past tense.

"You know, for the past thirty minutes, I've been thinking about what you said about not having anyone to kiss at midnight," Alex chuckled.

She soared higher.

"Oh?" she managed. Alex held out her phone, stamping out her cigarette on the railing. Natalie did the same.

"The countdown is going to start any second," Alex announced. At those words, a loud _'ten'_ split the air.

"Do you, um, want to go and join them?" she asked. _'Nine! Eight!'_ Alex took a step closer, shaking her head. _'Seven, Six!'_

"No, I'm exactly where I want to be," Alex whispered, cupping Natalie's cheek. 'Five! Four!' "Let's ring in the new year, Vasquez."

 _'THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!'_

Alex closed the distance between them.

Alex's lips were as soft as she fantasied, drinking in the feeling of the kiss. The hand not on her face wandered around, gripping her waist tightly, possessively. She, in turn, threaded her hands through Alex's hair.

When the cheering subsided, Alex pulled away first, leaving her breathless.

"Alex...," she panted, "Why'd you-"

"I think we both deserved a win," Alex answered, pressing their foreheads together.

Natalie flushed deeper, aware her fingers were still knuckle deep in velvety hair.

At that moment, their phones went off. Alex moved the hand around her waist to check,

"Shelby wants us."

"Oh. Um. Ok..." Natalie murmured, removing her hands, "Will we... Um... Can we, uh, you know-" Crap, why did Alex always reduce her to a bumbling idiot?

Alex cut her off, pressing her back against the sliding doors, kissing her harder than before. When she pulled away this time, Natalie's heart drummed harder.

"Of course we will," Alex promised, "Happy New Years, Natalie."

She smiled back. "Happy New Years, Alex."


End file.
